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(35419/W, 7) '
PHILADELPHIA, 21st November, 1918.
633 N. 12 street.
231
377.
At the outbreak of the war, August 1914, my son John Raoul and myself were in Peking, China. I proceeded at once to the French Imbassy offering for military service, fighting, red cross or medical, but was advised that no orders yet had arrived from France regarding Alsacians and that nothing could be decided, the only thing 1 could do, I was told, was to go to France and offer to the Colonial
army.
Being able to speak and read the Indo-Chinese lmbguages, as used in the French colonies in kwong-hau-Wau, Haifong, etc., and hearing that there some regiments were formed to protect the colony, I wrote to the goverment of Indo-China, but did not receive my answer,
After weary months of waiting, I had gone to shanghai, and enquired at the French Consulat about volunteers for the front. I was again told that I could go to France on my om account, but that the consulate coulinot send me.
·
With this advice, I decided to go to France, together
with my cơn, then 16 years of age.
We left thanghai on or about February 12th on the American vessel China* bound for san Francisco. As luggage we had three big trunks, containing books aid clothing, ane smaller trunk which I will call No. 4, and two handgrips. As the tickets for first class rooms had been sold
to ladies mou tly, we were located in a second class room.
It
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